Engaging Consumers With A Second Screen; Pandora's New Ad Units

The “Second Screen” remains an exciting opportunity for publishers and marketers alike. But, still, the viability of these ads is “guesswork,” according to this NY Times article. Nevertheless, the Times quotes Deloitte Digital’s Michael Guay and his analysis of the market: “Your customers are still watching television, and the ones that watch it with a second screen are more engaged than those who don’t. But that engagement shifts away from the television during commercials. Syncing your ad with the second screen keeps the viewer engaged.” Target them at the TV break.

Pandora’s Promoted Stations

Pandora is testing a new ad unit, “Promoted Stations,” that will afford brands an opportunity to launch their own stations. Taco Bell, Diageo’s Crown Royal, Sketchers and Sonos are among the brands participating in beta testing, and Pandora’s VP for digital, Lizzie Widhelm, says this marks the first time the digital streaming platform will be testing an ad product within the station list. Read more via AdAge.

Follower Intent

Twitter’s SMB ads solution is under review on Marketing Land. Russ Laraway, the head of Twitter’s SMB team, quotes a study he says shows “users who follow a small business on Twitter are 73% more likely to refer it to a friend or patronize the business by making a purchase or visiting a store.” Read more. That could mean higher bidding through Twitter’s MoPub exchange, of course.

Ecommerce Rising

According to an eMarketer report released on Monday, US retail ecommerce sales will rise 15.5% this year, reaching $304.1 billion. The report estimates that 196.6 million consumers aged 14 and older will shop online this year, with 163.2 million customers completing digital purchases. This estimate highlights that although digital shopping does not always lead to immediate transactions, the rise in ecommerce rates is affecting the path to purchase significantly. The NPD Group’s Marshal Cohen explained, “The majority of stores are just learning how to [sell] online. However, once they figure that out, the next step is how do they take the online and meld it in with the store experience to enhance them both.” Read the report here.

Same-Day Delivery

Google is expanding its same-day shipping platform. Amazon made public similar offerings last week. PandoDaily reports, "The announcements demonstrate the importance of delivery infrastructure to ecommerce efforts. … It’s not yet changing the way most people shop — people do live outside the coasts, after all — but the expansions let Google and Amazon experiment with services that could make a huge impact in the future.” Read more. And, check out AdExchanger’s earlier coverage of Google’s retail velocity.

Great Expectations

Facebook’s decreased organic reach is lending rise to changing expectations within social advertising. As brands pay more for the ad space they once enjoyed for free, their expectations are more exacting. “This is social media graduating beyond word-of-mouth advertising,” said Deep Focus founder Ian Schafer. “Mediocre creative is not going to pass through media budgets.” In response, many brands are adapting the way they advertise on Facebook. Some are posting off-peak hours to avoid premium prices, for example. Digiday had the story.